1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing service system for providing services related to photographs for users via a network such as the Internet.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been known digital photograph service systems for carrying out various kinds of digital photograph services such as storing photographs obtained by users in image servers after digitization thereof, recording the photographs in CD-Rs to be provided to the users, printing images photographed by users with digital cameras, and receiving orders for additional prints. As one form of such digital photograph service systems, a printing service system for receiving print orders via a network such as the Internet has also been proposed.
In such a printing service system, a user installs viewer software to his/her personal computer, which acts as a user terminal, for reproducing image data recorded in a CD-R or obtained by a digital camera. The user reproduces images represented by the image data, and generates order information describing the content of an order by using an ordering function built-in to the viewer software if the user wishes to place an order. The user transfers the order information and the image data to be printed to an order reception server installed in a service center for receiving the order from the user terminal via the network such as the Internet. The order reception server transfers the order information and the image data to a print server installed in a large-scale laboratory for processing the order. Printed matter such as an additional print, a picture postcard, or a photograph album is generated therein based on the order information.
The printed matter generated in the above manner is delivered or mailed to an agency specified by the user at the time of placing the order. In this manner, the user can receive the printed matter by paying a charge at the agency. The user can designate the agency at the time of placing the order, and a desired store or the like close to a place of residence or employment of the user is generally designated as the agency. The image data and the order information are transferred from the order reception server to the laboratory in collaboration with the agency designated by the user.
The user can designate the agency by: (1) selecting the desired agency from a list of agencies displayed on the user terminal; (2) selecting area information such as a prefecture by using the user terminal and then selecting the desired agency from a list of agencies in the selected area; (3) displaying the agency closest to the user on the user terminal, based on a zip code of the user; or (4) directly inputting the name of the agency from the user terminal, for example. In this manner, the user can freely select the agency as desired.
The order information herein referred to is information such as a processing number for specifying the content of a printing service (generation of ordinary prints or picture postcards or the like), an image number for specifying a photograph (a number representing an image data file), a print size, a quantity of prints, specification of printing paper (such as glossy or non-glossy), thickness of the printing paper, the content of photographic processing, and trimming specification, for example. The order information may further include information regarding the name, the address, the zip code and the phone number of the user, for example.
The printed matter generated in the printing service is delivered or mailed to the agency designated by the user at the time of placing the order, and the user receives the printed matter at the agency, as has been described above. If the agency installs a server for receiving the print order and the image data and a printer to print the image data, the agency can function as a laboratory. When the agency has the function of a laboratory, delivery of the printed matter to the agency becomes unnecessary. Therefore, although the agency is small as a laboratory, the time necessary for providing the user with the printed matter can be shortened.
Meanwhile, a printing service system can provide printing services for generating not only ordinary prints or picture postcards but also photograph albums, calendars, and T-shirts or mug cups with image data printed thereon. However, the printing services are carried out by not only a large-scale laboratory but also a small-scale laboratory in a DPE store (hereinafter referred to as a mini-laboratory). Therefore, all the printing services are not necessarily provided at all printing service providers (including large-scale laboratories and mini-laboratories). Especially, in a mini-laboratory, only the printing service for ordinary prints is generally provided, due to limitations of the equipment therein.
Furthermore, some mini-laboratories cannot carry out printing in a large size such as A4 or A5 out due to the limitations of the equipment therein, although the printing service for generating ordinary prints is available thereat. However, a user does not know whether a mini-laboratory can carry out large-size printing at the time the user designates an agency. For this reason, in the case where a print order for a printing service including large-size printing is placed, the order information is transferred to a mini-laboratory designated as the agency even if the mini-laboratory cannot process the large-size printing. In this case, the mini-laboratory cannot process the large-size printing. Therefore, an operator at the mini-laboratory needs to forward the order information to a large-scale laboratory that can carry out the large-size printing.
Meanwhile, the viewer software can be set to automatically designate a specific agency at the time of placing an order. If the viewer software is set in this manner, the agency can increase the profit since the user is highly likely to use the agency.
However, in the case where the specific agency is a mini-laboratory, if the user places an order for a picture postcard by using the viewer software, the order information therefor is transferred to the mini-laboratory via the order reception server. It is highly likely that the mini-laboratory does not have equipment necessary for picture postcard generation. In this case, an operator at the mini-laboratory needs to transfer the order information to a large-scale laboratory that can process picture postcard printing, since the mini-laboratory cannot carry out the picture postcard printing due to lack of equipment.
Therefore, if the order information is sent first to the mini-laboratory and then forwarded to the large-scale laboratory as has been described above, of the burden on the operator at the printing service provider becomes heavier. Furthermore, the time necessary for generating the requested printed matter becomes longer.
The present invention has been conceived based on consideration of the above circumstances. An object of the present invention is therefore to send order information efficiently.
A printing service system of the present invention comprises:
an order reception server installed in a service center for receiving order information representing an order of a user for a printing service regarding image data, from an order terminal via a network; and
printing service provider servers each communicable with the order reception server via the network and each installed in a printing service provider in collaboration with at least one agency capable of receiving printed matter generated in the printing service or installed in a printing service provider acting as an agency itself capable of receiving the printed matter generated in the printing service. In the printing service system, the printing service system receives designation of any one of the agencies capable of receiving the printed matter by using the order terminal at the time the order for the printing service is placed, and the order reception server transfers the order information to the printing service provider that is designated according to the designated agency. In the case where the order information includes an order that cannot be processed by the designated printing service provider, the order reception server carries out rerouting of the order information to one of the printing service providers capable of processing the order.
Each of the printing service providers may be a mini-laboratory functioning as the agency itself or a large-scale laboratory in collaboration with the agency or agencies at which the user can receive the printed matter through delivery or mailing of the printed matter thereto.
The order reception server is a server computer installed in the service center and always connected to the network so that the order reception server can receive the order information and the image data transferred from the order terminal. The order reception server has a function of receiving the printing service order from the user, a function of a database for storing the image data, and a function of communicating with the printing service providers.
The order terminal can be a network-connectable personal computer owned by the user who places the printing service order, or a network terminal installed in a DPE store for placing the printing service order.
As the image data to be printed, any image data can be used, such as image data obtained by the user with a digital camera, or image data generated by digitization of photographs obtained by the user and provided to the user by being recorded in a CD-R. The image data are transferred from the order terminal to the order reception server together with the order information.
The printing service refers to any services related to printing, such as ordinary printing in which the image data obtained by the user with the digital camera or recorded in the CD-R are printed by a photographic printer, printing for generating a picture postcard or a calendar, and printing on a T-shirt, a mug cup, a jigsaw puzzle, or a watch-face. The available printing services vary, depending on the printing service providers.
The agency or agencies capable of receiving the printed matter generated in the printing service desired by the user may include an agency in collaboration with the printing service provider that can provide the printing service desired by the user, or a printing service provider that can provide the printing service desired by the user and acts as the agency itself.
The printing service provider that is designated according to the designated agency is a printing service provider in collaboration with the designated agency or a printing service provider itself when the printing service provider acts as the agency.
It is preferable for the printing service provider capable of processing the order that cannot be processed by the designated printing service provider to be a printing service provider in collaboration with the designated printing service provider.
In the printing service system of the present invention, it is preferable for the order reception server to comprise a center database storing a service provider information table with which service provider information including information regarding the rerouting is registered for each of the printing service providers so that the order reception server can reroute the order information to the printing service provider capable of processing the order that is not processed by the designated printing service provider, based on the service provider information table.
The service provider information table has information registered by each of the printing service providers regarding the name, the address, the phone number, and the fax number thereof, the name of a person in charge, the printing service or services available thereat, and the information regarding the rerouting, for example. It is preferable for each of the printing service providers to register with the service provider information table by accessing the order reception server from the printing service provider server thereof.
The information regarding the rerouting refers to information such as the content of the order to be transferred, the printing service or services appropriate for rerouting, and the name specifying the printing service provider to which the order information is rerouted in accordance with the content of the order, for example.
In the printing service system of the present invention, the designated printing service provider may be a mini-laboratory and the order that cannot be processed by the designated printing service provider may represent large-size printing and/or postcard printing.
An order reception server of the present invention is the order reception server used in the printing service system of the present invention. The order reception server comprises means for carrying out rerouting of the order information to the printing service provider capable of processing the order that cannot be processed by the designated printing service provider, in the case where the order information includes an order that cannot be processed by the designated printing service provider.
It is preferable for the order reception server of the present invention to comprise the center database storing the service provider information table with which service provider information including the information regarding the rerouting is registered for each of the printing service providers so that the means for carrying out rerouting transfers the order information to the printing service provider capable of processing the order that cannot be processed by the designated service provider, based on the service provider information table.
Regarding the order reception server of the present invention, it is preferable for each of the printing service providers to register with the service provider information table by using the printing service provider server thereof that is accessed by the order reception server.
Regarding the order reception server of the present invention, the designated printing service provider may be a mini-laboratory and the order that cannot be processed by the designated printing service provider may represent large-size printing and/or postcard printing.
An order reception method of the present invention is a method used by the order reception server in the printing service system of the present invention, and the order reception method comprises the step of:
rerouting the order information to the printing service provider capable of processing the order that cannot be processed by the designated printing service provider, in the case where the order information includes an order that cannot be processed by the designated printing service provider.
In the order reception method of the present invention, if the order reception server comprises the center database storing the service provider information table with which the service provider information including the information regarding the rerouting is registered for each of the printing service providers, it is preferable for the order information to be sent to the printing service provider capable of processing the order that cannot be processed by the designated printing service provider, based on the service provider information table.
In the order reception method of the present invention, it is preferable for each of the printing service providers to register with the service provider information table by using the printing service provider server thereof that accesses the order reception server.
In the order reception method of the present invention, the designated printing service provider may be a mini-laboratory and the order that cannot be processed by the designated printing service provider may represent large-size printing and/or postcard printing.
The order reception method of the present invention may be provided as a program recorded in a computer-readable recording medium that causes a computer to execute the order reception method.
According to the present invention, in the case where the order information includes an order that cannot be processed by the designated printing service provider, the order information is sent to the printing service provider capable of processing the order. Therefore, the order information is not transferred to the designated printing service provider but transferred directly from the order reception server to the printing service provider specified by the information regarding the rerouting. Therefore, unlike the case in which the order information is transferred to the designated printing service provider first, the order information can be rerouted efficiently without a troublesome operation by an operator at the designated printing service provider. Furthermore, even in the case where the rerouting is necessary, the order information is not transferred via the designated printing service provider. Therefore, the time necessary for providing printed matter can be shortened, compared with the case in which the order information is forwarded via the designated printing service provider.
Moreover, the center database stores the service provider information table with which the service provider information, including the information regarding the rerouting, is registered. By rerouting the order information based on the service provider information table, the order information can be rerouted easily and thus efficiently.
By enabling each of the printing service providers that accesses the order reception server to carry out registration with the service provider information table, the printing service provider in access to the order reception server can set the information regarding the rerouting as desired.